Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Mesothelioma (or, more precisely, malignant mesothelioma) is a rare form of cancer that develops from cells of the mesothelium,
the protective lining that covers many of the internal organs of the
body. Mesothelioma is most commonly caused by exposure to asbestos.[1] The most common anatomical site for mesothelioma is the pleura (the outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it can also arise in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart),[2] or the tunica vaginalis (a sac that surrounds the testis).

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked in jobs where they
inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers, or were exposed to airborne
asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. Washing clothes of a family
member who worked with asbestos also creates a risk for developing
mesothelioma.[3] Unlike lung cancer, there seems to be no association between mesothelioma and tobacco smoking, but smoking greatly increases the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers.[4]

Risk

The
risks associated with asbestos are significant, and workers have
historically been subjected to concentrations 10–100 times the Canadian
legal limit of 1 fibres/cm3 (3, 17, 13).
These workers have suffered from a wide range of health effects.
Asbestos has a significant risk even at lower concentrations. The
families of workers have therefore had elevated rates of
asbestos-related diseases from the asbestos inadvertently brought home
on the clothing of miners. Radiographs of the spouses of workers exposed
to asbestos indicated that 19% of them suffered from pleural changes,
and that the only factor of significance in detailed questionnaires was
the latent period since first exposure. The microscopic fibres of
asbestos are therefore impossible to eliminate from the indoor air
environment, and pose a significant risk for the workers, their families
and those whose homes contain airborne asbestos.

Implications

The
laxness of the regulations concerning the sale, export and mining of
asbestos has detrimental consequences for the health of Canadian
communities. The Chrysotile Institute continues to receive federal
subsidies to mine asbestos in Quebec, and sets safety regulations “in
accordance with government” in Canada (1).
The safety regulations developed were described in the previous
section, and since these regulations protect corporate interests more
than community health, there are serious implications for community
health.

Since asbestos-related diseases appear many years after first exposure to asbestos (Figure 3),
it is often difficult to establish a link between disease and exposure,
especially since smoking and genetics are confounding factors in the
incidence of asbestos-related diseases. Lawyers and corporations have
therefore depended on scientists to prove or disprove this link. Miller
(2006) found in his analysis of radiographic readings for asbestosis
using International Labour Office classification that evidence has been
misused by the media and attorneys to give undue compensation to
victims. However, evidence has also been found that victims of asbestos
exposure are often misdiagnosed, and fail to receive adequate protection
(4).
The lack of firm government guidelines for the use and mining of
asbestos is therefore of great detriment to miners and their
communities.

Delay between the time of first exposure and employee diagnosis with asbestos-related diseases (Kamp and Weitzman, 1999)

Recommendations

Since
epidemiological analyses and animal testing have clearly shown that
asbestos has health effects through occupational and environmental
exposure, it is the responsibility of the government to protect the
health of its citizens instead of yielding to economic corporate
interests. The government of Canada must stop exporting asbestos to EU
countries in which asbestos has been banned, instead of continuing to
challenge the rights of these countries to refuse imports using WTO
guidelines (36).
Although chrysotile is less potent than other forms of asbestos,
serious questions must be asked about whether the benefits of economic
development in Quebec outweigh the long-term health consequences of
exposure to asbestos. One potential way in which these costs and
benefits can be better balanced is by forcing companies such as the
Chrysotile Institute to assume responsibility for the compensation of
people affected by asbestos.

Overall, better monitoring
is required, both of the health of miners and their communities and of
indoor air quality in buildings containing asbestos. Despite claims that
indoor air quality testing of public buildings is unnecessary and
unduly frightens the population, the overwhelming risks of exposure and
subsequent health effects warrant testing these sites for indoor air
quality. It is only through a thorough knowledge of the potential health
effects of a specific site that informed policies can be created.

See Sikma had a crony leak him a preliminary report, that says that there is asbestos on the site and its dangers to the workers and the local community. Sikma is having a field day making fun of this report because it was worked on by ...... (sit down for this) ----- Scientists and Academics!

The non-governmental author participating in the report’s creation is Tom Fitz,
an associate professor of geoscience at Northland College and outspoken
mine skeptic. Northland touts itself as an “environmental liberal arts”
college that focuses on climate change, sustainability, and green
practices.

(Edit note to Sikma - Liberal arts colleges are not another word for Democratic Colleges)

What hopeless romantics still cling to going "back to the good ol' days" & working like no dog ever did in order to bring home lots of Xmas presents for the kids?? And then to suffer in their last years gasping for breath with mesothelioma? How horrible it would be for them to finally give up believing in their dreams! Mike Wiggings Jr. represents a more realistic group stating, "... Nobody’s drinking the Kool-Aid up here.” The mindless R legislators think they can pull this body bag over the eyes of their constituents until their controllers have finished this lethal deed in order to take their billions & run. We need more education & get the word in support of taking legal action against these out of state vultures!! Thanks Jeff for doing just this!!

Is there EVER a picture of Scott Walker where he looks normal? He always looks like a slime ball, just waiting for someone to grease his palms. It makes me sick to think that the tea party publication The American Thinker (trust me no one who reads it thinks) equates Walker with honesty of all things. What??? Seriously...how pathetically moronic are tea party republicans? Walker has been caught in so many lies he was named the biggest lying Guv in America. Just because Walker looks like a geek doesn't mean he is benign. He undermines democracy at every opportunity. His ( Walker ) incarceration is something I pray for nightly. Scott Walker makes Jim Doyle look like Jesus.

I just spent the last 10 minutes scrolling through his twitter feed. Good lord. The GOP wonders why they only get majority of support from anyone NOT a woman or minority voter. What a pathetic little smart ass, Sykes wannabe. So gross.

Teapublicans such as Sikma feel entitled to their own facts. He comes across as a far right, faux scientist who denies anthropogenic climate change and supports intelligent design. No wonder the academic world views him with great disdain.